


mourning bells

by Ejunkiet



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Character Study, F/M, Prompts and fills, Season/Series 02, Wakes & Funerals, post-episode, short and bittersweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-06 15:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18854056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ejunkiet/pseuds/Ejunkiet
Summary: The thing is - the thing is, he didn't know about this. He should've - he's got a finger on the pulse of this city, knows the inner workings of its demons like the back of his hand, but this, this he didn't know.He grabs the bottle at his side - something hard and clear, he hasn’t checked the label - and tilts it back, swallowing a mouthful, two.--Prompt fill for alloeqat: Rio goes to a funeral, drinks too much and calls Elizabeth.





	mourning bells

**Author's Note:**

> All mistakes are my own. I'm accepting prompts at my tumblr (ejunkiet)!

He has a missed call from his abuela. **  
**

He’s on a job in the inner city and only realises later when he checks his personal phone, the one which he gives out to family and the neighbours next door. She doesn’t leave a message, never does, but the fact that she’s reached out to him says enough, and he sends his boys home, making the drive back through the city to his apartment before he returns the call.

It’s late for her, the sun hanging low over the horizon, and he knows he’s interrupting something, but she doesn’t mention it when she picks up. He can hear voices in the background, the low murmur of conversation around her before she leaves the room, clicking the door shut behind her.

Her voice is soft but strong as she addresses him.

“Mijo.”

She doesn’t have to say anything else, it’s all in her tone; he picks up his keys and walks right back out the door.

–

There’s been a death in the family. A kid, one of his cousin’s oldest, had gotten caught up in something he shouldn’t and paid the price for it. He was young, but old enough to know what he was getting himself into, and now the family is gathered at his  _tía’s_ place to pay their respects.

The thing is - the thing is, he didn’t know about this. He should’ve - he’s got a finger on the pulse of this city, knows the inner workings of its demons like the back of his hand, but this, _this_ he didn’t know.

The kid was smart, had a bright future - he wasn’t involved in this shit, until he was.

He grabs the bottle at his side - something hard and clear, he hasn’t checked the label - and tilts it back, swallowing a mouthful, two. The liquor burns his throat, and he closes his eyes, listening to the murmur of conversation in the house behind him. He’s on the patio, had to step out to make a few calls, and the evening air is cool against his skin, soothing in contrast to the atmosphere inside the house.

His burner buzzes in his jacket pocket, alerting him to an incoming call, and he digs it out, checking the caller ID.

**B B.**

He snorts, thumb hovering over the reject call button, but then he thinks about it for a minute.

He slides to accept the call, and raises it to his ear.

“Elizabeth.”

His voice doesn’t slur on her name, but it’s a close one. He looks askance at the bottle, before pushing it away, waiting for her response.

There’s a muffled sound on the other end of the line, before she speaks, a little breathless.

“Are you there?”

He pulls the phone away from his ear and squints at his phone screen. She’d called him, hadn’t she? Her voice rings out, small and tinny, _“hello?”_

He lets out a heavy breath, bringing the phone back to his ear. “I’m here.”

It’s a little after midnight on a school night, and he’d sent Marcus home hours ago; she’s got a house full of kids to take care of, there must be a reason she was calling him this late.

He opens his mouth to ask her, but then she’s speaking again, the words coming a mile a minute.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to call you - it was an accident. My phone fell off its cradle, and the next thing I knew, it’d dialed you.”

She sounds embarrassed, and he can picture the flush that must be colouring her cheeks right now. It’s a pretty picture, and he allows himself a small smile, wonders what she was really doing before that had gotten her so flustered.

“Is that right.”

He can hear a rustle of fabric, as if she’s nodding, before she remembers she’s on the phone. “It is.”

He glances back at the house, at the questions that remain and the decisions to be made, before picking up his bottle of booze and moving further into the yard.

“Well, I’m here.”

He unscrews the bottle and tilts it back, taking a long measure. The liquid sloshes inside, the bottle still two-thirds full, although it had been unopened when he’d started.

It’s quiet on the other side of the line for a long moment, before she asks, “Are you drinking?”

He grunts an assent, following a small cobblestone path that trails through the garden, past the rows of carefully maintained flower beds. His  _tía_ took great pride in her garden.

Her reply comes then, almost incredulous. “Are you at a _bar?_ ”

He’s not sure why he says what he does next, but the truth comes out anyway. “Funeral.”

He can hear her soft intake of breath, the way she takes a moment to compose her thoughts. “I’m sorry. Was it someone close to you?”

“Family.” The words tumble out of him, and he can’t stop them, even if he’d tried to. “Cousin’s kid.”

There’s another long pause. Her voice is soft when she replies, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Yeah.” He is, too.

He lets the silence hang there for a moment, breathing in the late summer scent of wet grass and earth, a little pocket of life in this urban metropolis.

He thinks about what he needs to do next, the plans he needs to make, and breathes out, letting it all go in a rush.

“You get rid of that husband of yours yet?”

The question catches her off guard, and she must be wondering how he knows about this - it didn’t take much, he has a guy keeping an eye on her, had seen that her husband had filed sometime last week. She lets out a soft breath.

“I’ve signed the papers. The rest is up to him.”

She sounds - tired. He shuts his eyes and imagines her sitting up in bed, the covers loose around her, dressed in something soft and delicate, her kids asleep in the rooms upstairs. “That’s good.”

Digging the lid out of his pocket, he screws it back on, tucking the bottle into his side.

“I should be heading back.”

“Okay.” She says it softly, carefully, like she’s worried that anything harsher will break him, and it’s not him that she should be worried about, not after today. He narrows his eyes back at the house, feels the familiar itch beneath his skin, pushing him to act. “I’ll see you, then.”

“Next drop,” he confirms, and goes to hang up before he hears her call out _wait,_ and he puts the phone back to her ear. “Yeah?”

She doesn’t speak, her indecision coming through in her silence, and he’s about to hang up when he hears her say, “I’m here. If you need to talk.”

He smiles, despite himself. It’s a brief thing, but it’s there. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She hangs up, and he takes a breath, soaking in the stillness around him, before he heads back up to the house.

**Author's Note:**

> Two final things I want to say about this fic: 
> 
> 1) B B stands for Boss Bitch, in case anyone was wondering~
> 
> 2) I still haven't made my mind up about whether Rio is Rio or Christopher, so here he is neither (that was a challenging point to follow through on...)
> 
> Reviews are appreciated! Check out my ongoing series ('all's well that ends' & 'written in the water') !


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